1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a capsule-type medical device and medical system for conducting, for example, examinations in somatic cavities with a capsule body incorporating an image pickup device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Capsule-type endoscopes, which are used to conduct, for example, examinations by inserting a capsule body shaped as a capsule into somatic cavities and lumens of human being or animals have recently been suggested.
For example, the endoscope disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H7-111985 comprises a spherical capsule whose shape was split in two.
However, within the framework of such conventional technology, the two capsules were almost of the same size. Therefore, ability of advancing and easiness of swallowing were not sufficiently improved.
Further, endoscopes have recently come into wide use in medical and industrial fields. For example, in case of endoscopic examinations in somatic cavity, an insertion member has to be inserted and the patient's pain is increased. A conventional example of a capsule-type endoscope shaped as a capsule to resolve this problem was disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-95755.
However, because capsule-type endoscopes capture images while executing unidirectional movement in lumen portions in the body by utilizing peristalsis inside the body, in the conventional example, the images of the entire inner wall of lumen are difficult to be captured without a miss.
On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-342526 discloses an endoscope in which illumination and observations means are provided on the front and back ends of a long cylindrical member.
In this case, observations can be conducted with two observation means with different observation directions. Therefore, the drawbacks of the above-described conventional examples can be overcome or eliminated. However, the problem is that because of a long cylindrical shape, the endoscope is difficult to move smoothly through curved portions and the significant patient's pain is increased.